A Shock of White Hair
by ohsnapitslibby
Summary: Aristocrat AU. Elsa Arendelle is part of the prestigious Arendelle family, the oldest of two sisters. She meets Jackson Overland, a charming man from the mansion across the moors that had stayed empty for years until the Overland family moved in. Unknown to Elsa, Jackson harbors a dangerous secret, one that is in danger of getting out if Elsa doesn't make the right choices.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The carriage rattled and swayed as we journeyed to the party, all the while my sister blathering on about what the ladies' dresses were going to look like and if there were going to be any handsome men there. Mother and Father participated in the conversation politely, smiling as her contagious excitement.

I was silent and thoughtful, as usual, getting caught up in my thoughts which didn't pertain in the least to the party we were heading to. It seemed like only a few minutes passed and we were in the driveway of the mansion, Mother resting a hand on Anna's to calm her down as she squealed in excitement. This was her first party, so her mood was expected. I had only been to one before, and it had been filled with old dukes and earls and lords and ladies who apparently had forgotten how to uphold a stimulating conversation. My name card had stayed empty that night. I didn't have hig hopes for this one either, even though Father reassured me that there would be much younger people there this time.

"Come on, Elsa, aren't you excited?!" Anna exclaimed, climbing out of the carriage after me and twining her arm through mine.

I smiled and replied, "Of course I am, Anna, but I've never been one for parties." Anna seemed disappointed by that, but kept up her happy energy as we entered the mansion, her eyes brightening at the sight of all the people.

We obtained our name cards and took our place in the receiving line, Mother and Father in front of us. The line moved surprisingly quickly, and we were soon meeting the host and hostess of the party.

Lord and Lady Overland were kind, greeting us with warm brown eyes and welcoming faces. The mother, father, and little daughter all had chestnut brown hair, which I guessed ran in the family, and this doubled my surprise when I saw their son.

He was tall and fair, with a shock of white hair on his head. His gaze turned to me and revealed misty gray eyes that shone with an energy not unlike my sister's. I blinked, still in shock, but thankfully still remembered to curtsy at the right time and introduce myself.

Apparently his name was Jackson, and he was the talk of all the girls at the party. Everybody wanted to dance with him to enjoy the pleasure of his company, which was said to be very riveting. The other men were almost completely shunned, their requests to dance with ladies only accepted out of politeness.

Jackson danced with a number of girls, Anna being one of them, while I sat down by a curtained-off section of the ballroom, watching the progress of the party. An old duke was nearby, talking about the Overland family with some others.

I caught part of the conversation, learning that the mansion had stayed empty for a while before they had moved here from their home in some other city. So that was why I had never heard of any family living in this house. It was so near to my family's; when we were invited to the party I was rather baffled.

"Elsa!" My sister's voice caught my attention, and I looked over at her walking toward me with a big smile on her face. She had probably finished her dance with Jackson and was eager to tell me all about it. I smiled warmly in return, reciprocating her expression.

"Dancing with Jackson was so amazing!" Anna got a dreamy look in her eyes as she recollected their dance. She sat down beside me and turned to explain everything.

"So the dance had just finished, and I felt a tap on my shoulder, and it was him! He asked me to dance, and of course I said yes, and he just swept me into his arms..." Her own arms were sweeping through the air in exaggerated movements as she told every detail. I nodded and smiled and giggled in all the right places, tuning her out for a bit a by accident as she told her story.

Soon enough she was off again, dancing with a charming redhead that she seemed to like even more than Jackson, if that were possible. I chuckled to myself, then became quite bored again, checking the time and realizing it was only 9:30.

I thought for a bit, then decided I would explore the house. As a child I had heard that its halls were haunted, and ever since then I had wanted to investigate. This could be my only chance. If anyone caught me, I would use the excuse that I was looking for the lavatory.

I stood and chose an exit nearby that was only being used by a few select people and ducked into a corner. I glanced around once more and left the ballroom, wondering where this adventure would take me.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The hallways were dark, only a few candle-lit lamps on the walls. The commotion from the party faded the more I walked, the buzz in my head I didn't even realize was there fading as well. I found a stray candle and lighted it with the flame from one of the lamps, walking on into the shadows.

It was definitely spooky, walking through the house, since most furniture was still covered in white sheets and things. As I walked, another sound arose besides the sound of my footsteps. The sound of a woman yelling. I tread cautiously now, making sure my shoes made little to no sound.

I came upon the scene of a woman yelling at a man, my ears only catching snippets of her words. "You promised." "For the good of the family." The only full sentence I heard clearly was the last one: "If you ever do something like that again will we go back to Matlock and stay there!" A sharp crack rang through the air and I flinched at the sound, knowing it had been a slap to the face.

As the stomping footsteps of the woman faded away, I came out of the shadows to see if the man was alright. He was sitting on the floor, wiping something slick off of his face, which I suspected was blood.

I came closer and he saw me as I lowered my candle and looked into the eyes of none other than Jackson Overland.

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**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Here's another chapter for you guys. I know it's short, but I promise the next chapter will be a lot longer :) I will probably update soon so read and review!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

His face was ashen, looking too tired to bother with telling me anything. I stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do when he spoke.

"Did you catch any of that?" His voice was a bit gravelly, but at the right pitch of deepness to fit his physical features perfectly. His right hand pressed on a spot on his cheek, pricks of blood peeking through his fingers.

"I-um..not much," I replied, rather like a bumbling idiot might I add. Realizing that he was hurt, I stepped closer and set the candle down beside me on the floor, gathering up my skirts to sit in front of him.

"What are you doing?" he said, then grimaced at having to flex the muscles hidden underneath the whiteness of his skin.

"Cleaning you up," I replied, glad to have formed a few words without my tongue tripping over itself. I went through a few layers of my skirts, decided on a random white one, then ripped a piece off, moving his hand away and dabbing at the cut on his cheek.

Jackson grimaced and his hand rose up instinctively to swat mine away, but I caught it and put it back down with expert reflexes, having been very practiced while dodging my little cousins' fists. "Stay still," I said in a steady voice, trying to concentrate on the wound on his cheek and not on how good he smelled and how close we were.

It had been a few minutes, and the bleeding had slowed to a thin trickle. "What did this woman slap you with, a damn knife?" I muttered, becoming impatient at how slowly the blood was clotting.

Jackson's eyes widened, looking straight at me, with a bewildered look on his face. I tried hard not to reciprocate with a stare of my own, a chance to look into those mysterious eyes.

"What?" I asked, inquiring about his expression. The blood finally stopped and I turned my eyes to Jackson. "Never heard a woman curse?"

In turn, Jackson grinned, smiled, then chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "Yes, I have. But only my mother," he replied, bringing up a hand to hide his amused expression.

The mood sobered, and Jackson spoke again while I picked up the candle and stood, helping him stand as well. "Who are you anyway?"

I turned to him and said, "Elsa Arendelle, daughter of Lord and Lady Arendelle. We live not far from here." We started to walk together. Where to, I didn't know.

"Ah, yes, the Arendelle family. Presumably wealthy...?" he inquired, looking down at the jewel necklace I wore and the fine fabric of my dress.

"Quite," was all I said in response, averting my gaze from his intense gray eyes. The candlelight reflected from them in the most astonishing way, making me realize that they were more of a dark blue than a stormy gray.

After a moment of silence, I spoke up. "Why did that woman slap you? Forgive me for asking such a personal question."

Jackson seemed to stiffen, his expression turning to cold stone. "Personal reasons," he replied frostily, keeping his eyes trained on the darkened corridor ahead.

I looked up at him, a little frightened by his sudden change in attitude but not very surprised. "I wasn't prepared for such a riveting experience at this party, Mr. Overland," I continued, trying to get him relaxed again.

"Nor was I," he replied, seeming eager to change the subject. "I hadn't even noticed you in the receiving line; did you slip past me?"

I rolled my eyes, saying, "You were probably too enamored by the other girls at the party to even notice me. Correction: too enamored by my sister, Anna Arendelle."

Jackson started to smile at that, and said, "Oh yes, Anna. I like her spunk. A little young for me, though. And her energy competes with mine far too much."

"Good. I wouldn't want her to fall in love with someone like you," I replied, smoothing out my skirt as I realized we were close to the party again.

At my words, he just laughed. "And what would you mean by that, Ms. Arendelle?"

We had stopped by the doorway to the ballroom, facing each other. "I mean that you're much too arrogant and clever to be around someone as innocent as her," I answered, crossing my arms over my chest as a nervous habit.

"I'm getting a strange feeling that you don't like me, Elsa Arendelle." A playful grin grew on his face, and I itched to go back into the party and become anonymous once again.

"Don't get too cocky, Jackson Overland," I replied, raising a brow and fighting off a small smile of my own. What could I say? His mood was contagious.

"Call me Jack." He winked, and I scoffed, starting to walk back into the ballroom. Jack grabbed my wrist and turned me back however, much to my discontent, as his touch sent tingles through my body that I didn't want to feel.

"At least give me one dance, Ms. Arendelle." I yearned to say no, but his intense blue eyes gripped me and I succumbed to his charm, albeit only for one dance.

We glided across the ballroom floor, the band starting a waltz. Just what I needed. A one-on-one dance that forced closeness and intimacy.

As we twirled and stepped, I could feel the burning gaze of almost every woman in the room, probably wondering who I was and what I was doing with Jack. I wanted to duck my head and walk straight out of the room, but I somehow knew that Jack would go chasing after me.

The dance finally ended, and I sighed in relief, pulling away from Jack quickly to get away as soon as possible. Before I could get away, however, he whispered in my ear, "I'm expecting another dance, Ms. Arendelle. This party is not nearly over."

He let me go, and I walked swiftly to the nearest seat, looking at Jack's name on my dance card with mixed feelings. I wanted to be irritated, but Jack wasn't all too bad, and I found that conversation with him was far from boring. He had surprising knowledge of many things I knew of that most people didn't, and there was just this natural chemistry that made a comfortable ease between us.

"Elsa!" My sister's familiar voice reached my ears once again, and I turned to Anna with the calmest expression I could manage at that point. She practically ran to sit beside me, her eyes shining with newfound excitement.

"I met this new person, Hans Isles! He's so handsome and charming and sweet and oh! You should meet him! I feel like I'm very much in love already!" Her words moved quickly in such a way that it took a bit of time to register them.

"Oh Anna, you can't be in love already. This is probably just infatuation. But I must say that he is rather handsome," I replied with a knowing smile, glad to see her in such a good mood.

"Don't you agree?! The way he moves, the way he talks, oh, if you could only meet him! Anyway, I saw you dancing with Jackson! How did you meet? I mentioned you while we danced and he didn't seem to remember you." At her words, I was reminded of Jackson and found him with my eyes, speaking to a group of older guests with vigor.

"It's a long story," was all I replied, averting my gaze from Jack and back to my sister's wide blue eyes.

Anna looked a bit disappointed by my answer, but caught sight of the same redhead that I guessed was Hans and waved, standing up to go talk to him. She grabbed his arm and started to walk over to me, obviously encouraging him to meet me.

I stood and curtsied as they walked up, out of politeness, while Anna introduced us to each other. "Elsa, Hans; Hans, Elsa," she said, gesturing to each person in sync with her words.

I smiled politely and he did in turn, but I had a weird feeling that there was something off. I couldn't place it, but I definitely knew that it was caused by Mr. Isles. He took my hand and kissed it, his eyes meeting mine. I resisted the urge to shiver violently.

"A pleasure," he said smoothly, his words graceful and slick from the tongue. I didn't like him already. He reminded me too much of a snake.

I took one more glance around and met the eyes of none other than Jackson Overland, who's expression was not entirely pleasant. My brows furrowed in confusion, and his eyes sparked with anger. No, not anger. Something deeper. Loathing.

He turned and said a few more words to the men he was speaking to, then started walking...toward us. I quickly looked away from him, realizing I had been staring at Jack the entire time, but then found the space in front of me empty.

Hans and Anna were already back on the dance floor, laughing and talking, while I felt a harsh grip on my arm and turned to look into Jack's now familiar burning blue eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Another cliffhanger, sorry, I just couldn't help it :3 But yes, now this leaves you to ponder the possibilities. Once again, thanks for the reviews. I'll try to update as soon as possible!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Get your hands off me!" I immediately cried, albeit in a quieter voice than I wanted to say it. We were at a party, after all.

Despite my protests, Jack didn't let go, and instead lead me to an opening in a pair of glass doors that led to the garden. More like dragged me, actually. We reached a secluded, quiet spot in the gardens, since there were people roaming the outside also, and I guessed that Jack wanted his privacy.

"You have to get your sister away from that man, Ms. Arendelle," he said in an urgent voice, his eyes starting to storm with quite strong anguish.

"And why would I do that? Mr. Isles seems like a perfectly good man," I replied, my voice rather haughty. Why was this happening? I rarely ever spoke so...above everyone else.

Jack, in reply, just gave me a hard look and said, "Don't play dumb with me, Elsa. I saw you. I know you sense something off about him."

I stayed quiet for a moment, wondering if I should correct him about using my first name or just get on with it. Jack seemed quite intimidating at the moment; I didn't want to push him too far.

"Alright, he does seem a bit...suspicious, but how can I know for sure? Do you have any proof?" Two guests walked past us, talking idly, and there was a pause in our conversation. In the momentary silence, I wished that I had skipped this party altogether and had never met this Jackson Overland.

"Yes, I do have proof! I mean, no, I can't...but you just have to trust me! He's not a good man! Stay away!" His eyes were widened and his arms were moving through the air in grand gestures not unlike my sister.

His expression and voice spoke sincerity, but I was still doubtful. Anna was smart. She was able able to avoid the bad ones and fall for the good ones. Right?

"Without any proof, Jack, I cannot believe you. After all, I've only known you for a few hours," I replied, and the clock of the house chimed, so I added to my words, "There's the clock chiming 11, I think I'll be going now. I'm sorry for not giving you your dance; maybe next time?"

Without waiting for an answer, I walked away, back into the ballroom and toward my family, who were just getting ready to go. It was cold, I knew. Strangely cold for a person like me. But apparently, Jackson Overland made me do strange things. Things I might not be entirely proud of.

* * *

It was gray and gloomy the next day, the perfect kind of day for me to stay inside and distract my mind by reading. My method was working for the most part, but whenever I stopped to do something in between, I found my thoughts clouded my him. None other than Jackson Overland, of course.

What was he doing now? How could he have even known that Mr. Isles was so bad? What was that woman yelling at him about? There were too many questions unanswered and the shipment of new books for me to read had yet to arrive.

A light pattering of rain hit us, and then a heavier pattering of rain, and soon it was pouring. I sat with my family in the living room, working on a piece of embroidery. It was a bad choice of activity, because it left empty spaces in my mind for Jack to fill.

A faint ruckus coming from another room made my head rise, wondering what could be causing the noise. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Miss Elsa, there's a guest here. Since your parents are out, I thought to bring him to you." The voice of the servant who had let this guest in sounded through the door.

"Come in," I said, starting to work on my embroidery again and wondering idly who this guest was. The door opened, and I lifted my gaze to see that it was him. The man who seemed to permeate my thoughts no matter how hard I tried. Jackson Overland. And his little sister as well, it seemed.

His whitish hair was soaked, glistening with rain water, and I was not surprised to find the rest of him wet through and through as well. He held the hand of his little sister, who was a only a bit drier than he. His eyes, now an intense dark blue, focused on me, making my heart beat a bit faster and almost pleasant chills run down my back.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Miss Arendelle," he started as I stood quickly out of politeness. "Hannah and I were walking to town but got caught in the rain."

I resisted the urge to be sarcastic and say "Obviously." This wasn't like at the party. This was under very different circumstances. "You are welcome to stay here and dry off," I replied, suddenly very conscious of the fact that my hair was in a casual braid instead of my usual crown twist bun.

I turned to the servant who was there and said, "Fetch some towels for me, please. And get someone to start a fire in here."

As the servant left, Anna came into the room, starting to say something about how she heard noises coming from downstairs, then stopped at the sight of Jack and Hannah. "Um, hi! I'm Anna, if you don't remember me... You're Hannah, right? Jackson's little sister? Why don't I get you dried off? I can show you the rest of the house after."

Anna took the little girl's hand and left the room, shooting me a wink and not saying a word to Jack. Great. A servant came in with a few towels, putting them down and going to start the fire up again. They left quickly after the fire started to blaze.

I watched Jack as he grabbed a towel and started drying himself off. I couldn't think of anything to say. Our last parting of ways wasn't too pleasant. Despite her natural kindness, I could strangle my sister sometimes.

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**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad to see you guys so into the story XD I hope I write good enough! Honestly I don't know clearly where I'm going with this story...I think the vague ideas in my mind will become clear soon enough :) As always, R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I watched Jack's movements quietly, as he moved the towel to dry off his exposed skin that had gotten wet. His eyes moved to meet mine in a glance and I immediately looked away, realizing embarrassingly that I had been staring.

What to say? I didn't know if he would act like nothing had happened, or if he would act stiff and unresponsive. I secretly hoped that he would act like nothing happened. The light banter that had passed between us earlier last night had made me feel like someone different. Someone that I liked better than my usual self. I looked up again at Jack, and he was suddenly a lot closer. My breath caught in my throat as he took my hands in his.

"I'm sincerely sorry for the way I acted last night," he said, looking at me with his mesmerizing blue eyes. So, he had decided to talk about what had happened. I forced my expression to refrain from looking disappointed. He seemed sincere. Very. But I still had some doubt. Based on the way he seemed to intensely dislike Mr. Isles, I wasn't completely convinced that he had given up those feelings to apologize to me.

"It was ridiculous, rude and very disrespectful towards you as well as Mr. Isles," he continued, moving his gaze downward from my eyes, then flickering away from my face altogether. The sentence had come out stiffer and less genuine than the sentence last. My doubts increased.

I pulled my hands away from him and stepped back, watching as his expression molded from iciness to concern in a fluid motion. "I thank you for the apology and I accept it," I said in a low voice. His face was still masked with worry.

"However, things with you seem to be getting a bit suspicious. I'm honestly starting to wonder if I should reconsider my decision to trust you." It was surprisingly hard for me to say those words. They were not entirely true, and even though it was usually very easy for me to lie, in front of Jack I felt that every skill I had crumbled to dust.

I saw Jack's eyes widen in surprise at my remark. There, something that didn't make me feel helpless in front of this man. I resisted the urge to smirk as he struggled to form a reply. "But I'm not hiding anything!" His voice was a bit on the panicky side.

"Really? You know, stumbling upon that scene in the hallway during the party did seem a bit mysterious. Especially after your refusal to say anything about it!" My replies were getting quicker, and I felt more confidence rush through me as Jack struggled to think of words to say once again. I felt like I was glowing with newfound strength, and I relished in every second of it.

All of a sudden, Jack seemed to compose himself. It was like witchcraft had been performed right in front of me as he replied in a low but stern voice, "You don't have any right to know my business, Ms. Arendelle. And if you would like any amount of a chance to get to know me better, I suggest you don't come prying."

And as soon as it came, my flaming rush of bravery had dissolved. His voice had truly frightened me, his gaze frozen me in place. I felt my eyes widen, my brow furrowing in slight fear. It was a side of Jack I had never known, never seen until now. And it scared me greatly.

A knock on the door shook us both out of our trances. I said, "Come in," quickly and went to the couch to have a seat. I looked towards the doorway, expecting to see someone I probably wouldn't want to see at the moment, like my parents or Anna, but it was just a servant with a tea tray.

"I though' you migh' like to have some tea, Miss Elsa," Hattie, the servant, said, bless her soul. She rested it on the table between me and Jack, curtsying to him and turning to me with a small smile.

I gave her a smile of my own and said, "Thank you, Hattie. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated." With that, she quickly left the room, bringing the silence back again. This time it was different, however. Not as tense.

"Tea?" I offered, starting to pour some of my own. Because of Hattie's interruption, things had calmed down. Jack gave me a stiff nod, and I added, "Do you take cream and sugar?"

He nodded silently once again, and I started pouring his tea. I had a feeling that he wasn't going to say anything, so I racked my brain for something to say instead. "Honestly, Jack, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I would like to be friends, if that is acceptable to you."

I stood to pass him his tea, and he took it gently from my hands, giving me a glance before saying, "I agree. Why don't we start again and get to know each other the normal way?" I sat back down and looked up to see him smirking at me, his eyes at an almost glittering point.

"Fine by me," I replied, giving him a small smile of my own. Taking a sip of my tea, I wondered absentmindedly where Anna could have possibly gone off to with Jack's sister. My thoughts were interrupted with Jack said, "Okay... What's your favorite color?"

I gave him a curious look, as my opinion was that the question was quite childish. But if this was the way he wanted to do this, so be it. "Blue. Like the color of frost when the sun shines upon it and reflects the color of the sky."

"Mine is white," Jack replied simply, but then went on to add, "But like an off-white. Ivory." He took one sip of his tea, then set it down on the table.

I felt like he expected me to ask a different question, but my mind was blank. My cheeks started to get warm with embarrassment as my brain simply refused to give me anything to follow up with. I saw Jack smile slightly. "Cat got your tongue?" he said playfully.

I felt my cheeks grow even hotter than before, and I knew for sure that my pale skin was getting red. I needed to say something, and quickly. "No feline has gotten my tongue," I stammered out, then added, "This whole making friends business is not one of my best skills."

I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes again. Suddenly he said, "I don't know how you do it, Elsa."

Something inside my stomach warmed delightfully as he said my name, but I shook off the feeling and replied, "I don't quite understand your meaning, Mr. Overland." I stressed the title of his name as a show that I didn't appreciate him calling me by my first name, warmth in my stomach or not.

I looked back at him as he just smiled at me, as if he had not a care in the world. "You don't realize how many people appreciate you," he finally said. Seeing that I still didn't quite understand, he continued, "For example, the maid coming in a bringing the tea without you asking. She probably didn't even know there was a guest in the house and had decided to bring you tea anyway. You're too kind without realizing it, and that is what amazes me. At the moment, anyway."

I stared at him, baffled, knowing that the surprise was showing clearly on my face. Most of my life I had tried to keep myself detached, and now Jack was telling me that I was too kind to the people around me. How could someone unravel me so quickly and so easily?

He looked like he was about to say something when the door opened and none other than Mother and Father walked in. "Elsa! We heard of the visitors!" Mother exclaimed, smiling pleasantly at Jack.

"Yes, Mother," I started saying as I rose from my seat, "I have been entertaining Ja—I mean, Mr. Overland, during his time here. He and his sister were walking to town but they got caught in the rain. This was the nearest shelter."

Jack immediately stood and said, "Speaking of that, it appears that the rain has stopped. Thank you for your hospitality and I hope to meet again soon." He bowed to all of us and strode out of the room, while I stood there, wishing that he hadn't left so quickly.

My parents started to carry out a conversation with me, though it was rather one-sided. I replied to their mindless babble with short sentences, my thoughts on the one and only Jackson Overland. He confuses me. He leaves me breathless one moment and annoyed the next. He is the only person I know who has this strange power over me, and I'm not sure if I like it or not.

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**A/N: I'm so sorry for the super late update! I was having kind of a writer's block for this chapter, and now I have to think of what's gonna happen in the next one and next one...Also, I'm in a different country at the moment so I don't have as much time to write. To reply to part of DragonIceFury's review, Jack came to her house because it was pouring and there was no where else to go. It was the etiquette then. But he might have had other ideas to go to her home as well...*wink wink* Anywayz, I hope you liked this chapter! Read and review. Oh and I tried to make it longer than usual, but I don't know if I did too well at that. DX**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I combed Anna's hair with smooth strokes, her strawberry blonde locks glinting beautifully in the low lamplight of her room. We did this most nights, when we had time, to talk and discuss things about our day. This time, Anna was relentless as she interrogated me about what had happened in the drawing room with me and Jack.

"Tell me, Elsa! I mean, Hannah was lovely, but I was rather bored while you were having all of the fun in the drawing room with Jack!"

My cheeks warmed immediately at her words and I quickly answered, "Nothing of the sort happened, Anna. It was rather awkward at first, but then we started conversation, then our parents came and he just rushed out of the room. I'm actually starting to think that he was dying to leave that whole time, seeing that he left so quickly."

"Oh! Well, yes, I have to admit that I noticed that too. It seemed that he just grabbed his sister and ran off with only a slight bow towards me."

I sighed and kept combing Anna's long, silky hair. It calmed my thoughts, and actually kept my mind off the never ending subject of Jackson Overland.

"You know," Anna suddenly piped up, "We haven't spent time together in a while, sister. Maybe we could go riding. Perhaps in the late afternoon? I hear that is the best time for a nice ride across the moors."

I considered it for a moment, then decided that it would do me good. Some exercise would ward off any pale sickliness my relatives used to always claim I had when I was young. But, I knew Anna had her reasons behind it as well.

I smiled coyly and said, "You just want to see if Mr. Isles is out so you can 'accidentally' meet him." Everybody knew that Hans Isles had been staying at the Overland residence for quite some time. A distant family relation of some sort.

She spluttered a bit before answering, "Uh, no! Of course not! Well, yes actually. But I do honestly want to spend more time with you as well."

"And it will probably rain tomorrow, so if you meet him and catch cold...oh you sly temptress!"

We both giggled as I realized her full plans and found that I was quite looking forward to tomorrow afternoon.

* * *

I waited, already sidesaddled on my favorite gray speckled mare, Nessa, as Anna mounted her own horse. She had just learned sidesaddle a few months ago, and wasn't in the best of practice.

After a while of heaving herself on top and positioning her legs, Anna finally got it and said, "There!" in a quite breathless voice.

I smiled and started my own horse to a gentle walk, knowing that I would have to ride slowly for the most part of this outing. Even so, as I looked upon the moors, I just wanted to gallop forever and be free.

My thoughts were interrupted as Anna came trotting out with her horse, catching up to me and then passing me. I sped up Nessa and soon enough my sister and I were riding across the fields, laughing and enjoying the quite beautiful day.

We came out of a copse of trees and to a wide open field, only a few fences in the way. We had stopped our horses to catch a breath, and I was eyeing the field longingly.

Anna seemed to notice and said, "Go on, Elsa. I know you want to."

I smiled at her, about to refuse politely when she interjected, "Come on, Elsa! Do not worry about me!"

That was when she took her short whip and cued Nessa on her right side where my own whip was hesitating, and my horse took off in a gallop, myself surprised at Anna's action but quickly adjusting. I secretly loved to gallop, like I hadn't a care in the world, however hard it is riding sidesaddle and galloping at the same time.

With the wind on my face and the sun in my eyes, my mind didn't have room for distracting Jackson Overland, and I loved the feeling. I came across a fence, and decided that since Anna could be the only one watching, I would practice my jumping in sidesaddle. Pressure on the side, pull on the reigns...I repeated to myself what I had learned and made the jump, wanting to whoop with joy as Nessa and I both landed safely on the ground. I heard my sister cheer from behind me and felt that my smile couldn't grow any wider.

When the trees started again, I slowed down, waving my sister over, who was already trotting towards me. I decided to go ahead for little while, at a calm walk, along a trail in the small forest.

My heartbeat jumped when I spotted movement in the trees. The sun had been covered by a passing cloud, which made it all the more hard for me to make out the movement. As I got closer, I realized it was two...men. Two men. One shoved the other to the ground, muttering something rather nasty. The one on the ground got up, waited for a moment, then swung his fist, connecting to the man's jaw in a hard punch. The man who received the punch backed up against a tree, clutching his jaw for a moment, then rushing towards his opponent to elbow him in the stomach, who then backed away but came back for another strike.

The sun came out once again, and I waited eagerly to see who the two fighting were. My heart dropped to my stomach when I noticed a shock of white hair. The man who had given the punch. Who had received an elbow in the stomach. It was Jackson Overland.

I pulled on the reigns desperately to stop my horse and turn her around when Nessa gave out a little snort and both men turned towards me. It was in that moment that I realized Mr. Overland's opponent was someone familiar, but I didn't have time to process the thought as I cued Nessa into a full-out gallop.

Anna was just about to enter the forest as I came galloping out, slowing down to a trot and turning Nessa to face my sister.

"A—pant—sinkhole—pant—from the—puff—from the rain yesterday." I stopped for a bit to catch my heavy breath. "Nessa and I barely got out."

Anna's face creased with worry. "Oh, that's terrible! You are lucky you got out without help," she said, with that face she has when she wants to embrace me.

My mind was too preoccupied with other things to answer my sister. Mr. Isles and Mr. Overland, having a gruesome fight where they obviously didn't want anyone to see. That wasn't just suspicious, it was downright frightening.

"He is not a good man! Stay away!" Jack's words echoed in my mind. Mr. Isles did seem to do the most damage during that fight. But why were they fighting in the first place? I was not getting any answers, and I still would not get any if I just waited around.

"Elsa?" Anna's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I jumped a bit as I was shaken out of my reverie and said, "Oh, I beg your pardon. I suppose I just got lost in thought." I smiled a little at Anna, and she reciprocated with a smile of her own.

"The day is growing dark," I continued, glancing at the setting sun, "We should start back."

* * *

The next day, a message arrived from Mr. Isles stating that he wanted to call on both myself and Anna. My mother accepted at once, since permission was usually up to her, and Anna looked like she couldn't be a happier person. I, myself, was not too excited. Mother was insisting we go on horseback, however sore my legs and back were, because she had quite the same idea as Anna did the day before. It was definitely not a sunny day, and it was likely to rain, so if we got caught in the rain and became ill, we could stay at their manor. Quite devilish indeed.

I decided to take another horse, a big black stallion called Romeo, in fear that Hans would recognize Nessa from yesterday and suspect that I had been witness to his fight with Jack. Romeo was less experienced with sidesaddle than Nessa, but I trusted him for more basic riding. Nothing like galloping, of course.

Anna and I set out, trotting on our horses and glancing up at the gray clouds fearfully. Surprisingly, it only sprinkled a bit of rain before we arrived, and even though at first Anna liked the idea, I think she was just as thankful as me not to have been soaked through.

Two stable boys took our horses as a butler came to usher us in. It being the second time I was inside, I found that I liked it better in its normal way, without all of the people and the decor for a party. I took off my gloves and coat, following the butler as well as Anna to wherever we were going. We entered an empty drawing room and the butler said, "You are welcome to sit down. Mr. Isles will be with you shortly."

Anna and I sat in silence, my sister fidgeting the entire time. Playing with her hair, straightening out her dress, checking to see if there was any mud in embarrassing places, that sort of thing. It was quite amusing, but also a bit irritating, since I thought of Anna as a rather innocent and childlike character, not one who would go to much trouble to look good for a man.

"Do I look fine?" Anna said, sitting up straighter and sucking in her cheeks a bit.

"Yes, of course, Anna, but do stop doing that thing with your cheeks; it is rather ghastly," I replied, starting to giggle and causing Anna to giggle as well.

It was in that moment that Mr. Isles entered, making my sister and I stop laughing and stand abruptly. I noticed a faint purple marking on his jaw, which could only be a bruise, and was a bit shaken as I realized that I was correct about him being Jack's opponent yesterday. He bowed, and we curtsied. He asked for tea, and Anna mentioned something about the weather. He agreed with her remark, then the tea came, and I offered to pour it for everyone. Nothing very suspicious...this was actually turning out to be rather boring.

I smothered a yawn, and both people accompanying me noticed, looking at me with odd gazes, but then smiling a bit as I said, "Excuse me; this type of cloudy weather makes me feel a bit drowsy." It was all I had to say to allow them to continue their conversation, which had been growing quite vigorous since I stopped listening and let my eyes as well as my thoughts wander.

Where was Jack? Off somewhere in town? Or here in this very house? My thoughts felt sluggish as I continued to sink deeper into the drowsiness that threatened to overtake me. I needed something to wake me up.

I stood suddenly, without thinking of an excuse to leave first.

"Uh, I—um, Mr. Isles? I hear the manor has a vast collection of exquisite art and that there is a room dedicated to it. May I ask to explore it?" It was all I could think of at the time.

"Oh, of course! I think you'll really enjoy it in there, but I do believe Anna and I will stay here...?" He waited for a nod from my sister before continuing, "Just go straight out of this door, to the left, up the stairs. It will be the fourth door on your right."

My head just automatically nodded in understanding, even though my brain might not have retained much of those directions, and I curtsied before stepping out of the room to climb the stairs on my left.

Was it the fourth door on the right or the fifth? Was the door even on the right? Maybe it's on the left, I thought to myself, counting the fourth door on the left and entering.

It was definitely not a room filled with an art collection. A large desk sat in the front and center of the room, big and brown and masculine. Behind it, four columns of enormous bookshelves, filled with hundreds of texts, tomes, and novels. I examined the desk before me at first, instead of instantly going to explore the books.

It had a few stacks of papers organized neatly, but the rest were a mess, strewn across the desk in a most nonchalant manner. I, of course, politely avoided reading the scratchy handwriting, as I knew it would be a horrible invasion of privacy, whoever's papers these were.

An ornament was sitting on the desk. I thought it to be some sort of paperweight at first, but soon after, I realized that it was a snow globe. Two people, a couple, were ice-skating inside, the snow falling all around them as I shook the glass carefully. I rested the snow globe back on the desk and started to walk towards the books, finding nothing else of interest.

At first there were the regular books: _Great Expectations_, _Jane Eyre_, _A Tale of Two Cities_, and the like, but I came across a title that I hadn't seen before. _Tom Jones, A Foundling_ by Henry Fielding. Well, I had heard of it before, but also recalled that it was appropriate for men's eyes only. It just caused my desire to read it grow all the larger.

With one glance around, I took the book off of the shelf and went to the back of the room to try and find a place to sit and read. There was a window seat, adorned in leather, that I decided to sit in. And from there was where I first started reading the book from an unknown library.

It was about a fourteen year old boy named Tom Jones, son of a harlot and a scoundrel, raised by a kind and rich man named Mr. Allworthy. So far, there hadn't been any writings that were taboo in the novel. Even so, I was still only on chapter six.

"I see you have found your way into my study, Ms. Arendelle."

I jumped in my seat and looked upwards at the man who's face had been in my mind ever since our conversation in the drawing room. Jackson Overland was standing before me, his silvery white hair in a wet disarray that had no doubt been caused by rain. A small grin spread across his lips, and I found my eyes lingering on them before snapping my book shut and standing to curtsy.

"I deeply apologize, Mr. Overland, and shall be leaving your study now," I said quickly, not wanting to leave but knowing it was the right etiquette.

Before I could walk past him, however, he grabbed my wrist and said, "There's no reason to leave, Ms. Arendelle."

His voice was soft and gentle, nothing like the playful, happy tone of the usual Jackson Overland. I turned to face him, looking deep into his stormy blue eyes, which looked slightly distraught but were masked with a smoothness that reflected the tone of his voice.

"We have barely spent time together, now. Every time I get to speak with you, it is fleeting, much like a breath of wind on a summer's day."

His face, unusually tender, was straight and solemn, far different from the Jackson Overland at the party. Despite this, I couldn't help but respond with the impish nature that characterized him in my mind no matter what his mood.

"How poetic, Mr. Overland. Though I should expect nothing less from a man with such an extensive library."

Now a small smile played on his lips, slightly breaking through the sentimental expression on his face.

"It is true, you have found my secret pleasure. And I see that you have also found one of my favorite treasures."

In a rush of realization, I looked down at the book in my hand and quickly held it up, offering it to him with what I hoped was an apologetic look on my face. Instead of grabbing it, however, Jack spoke.

"Tom Jones, hm? Supposedly inappropriate for women. Well, I see no harm in people of a sex opposite mine exploring its chapters. Since you obviously don't have a copy of your own, it may be yours to keep. I sincerely hope you enjoy it."

Finishing his statement, Jack rested his hand atop my own holding the book, pushing it gently towards me before I could protest. I glanced up into his eyes and read a message in their depths that said: _I insist_.

I looked back down at the book, planning to accept his gracious gift, when I noticed something. His hand. The knuckles were all bruised and cut, obviously the result of a fight. My mouth fell open as I realized which fight this came from.

"Your hand!" I cried, grabbing it with my own spare grip and raising it up higher so I could examine the damage.

Almost immediately, Jack made to snatch his hand back, but I knew what was coming and held steadfast, continuing to inspect the cuts and bruises. Definitely from fighting Mr. Isles. I looked up at him slowly.

"For the sake of your privacy, I won't ask where this came from, Jack. But for the love of God, please, don't ever get into a fight again!"

I buried my head in his chest, partially to hide that my eyes had been watering, and to finally get close to him. My hand wrapped around his arm, gripping it tightly, as his arm drew around my back, holding me to him just so. I reveled in the moment, using the opportunity to inhale his masculine scent, to feel the contours of his chest and body. It was the closest I had ever been with a man, excluding my father, and my body responded to my excitement promptly, my heartbeat jumping to alarming speeds and my muscles going taut.

Sooner than I would've liked, Jack pulled back, looking down at me with a grin on his face. The look of glee was pure and potent, making me wonder what he was so elated about.

"You called me by my first name."

I couldn't help but smile, his happiness rather infectious. "Don't get accustomed to it, Mr. Overland."

"I'll be quite cautious, Ms. Arendelle. Now, I have an inquiry. Why are you in this house in the first place?"

I hesitated before replying, not knowing if Jack would really want to find out. "Mr. Isles called on both myself and Anna. I became quite bored, so I asked to explore one of the rooms in the house, but instead found myself in your study."

Just as I had predicted, at the mention of Hans Isles, Jack's expression immediately darkened.

Intending to cheer him up, I remarked, "He had a rather nasty bruise, Mr Isles. Looked like it hurt."

His expression did not transform as I had hoped it would, but became less harsh as he replied, "Yes, I noticed it just this morning. I haven't the slightest idea where it could have come from."

I resisted the urge to ask him about what I had seen yesterday, as he probably suspected, but didn't know for sure, if I was the person who had witnessed the fight or not. The more I pondered, the more I wanted to know, but I had already made the decision to keep my lips sealed for as long as possible.

Jack spoke again before I could reply, "I imagine that your original intention for going up here was to explore the art collection in the next room."

"Oh! Um, yes, that was my goal, before I got lost and ended up in your study." I felt my cheeks warm and an embarrassed smile play upon my lips.

"Well, it seems that you came quite close, for the room you were looking for is just across the hall. Shall we tour it together?"

_So it was the door on the right_, I thought to myself, quickly saying, "I would be honored if you would give me the pleasure of your company for this much longer."

"So my company is pleasurable? That's an exceptional thing to hear, coming from a woman who seems very difficult to please," Jack quipped, his natural liveliness starting to show through. He took my arm and started to lead me out of the room into the hall, my eyes following his to the door across from us.

"How dare you accuse me as difficult to please," I said playfully, "Once you get to know me, you may find that I am a very amicable character."

Jack didn't reply. He was too busy looking over at a harried-looking stable boy that was covered in dirt from head to toe, making him look completely out of place in his refined surroundings. Jack and I both paused in our commute to the room with the artwork to look at him and wait for what he had to say.

"Are you Elsa Arendelle?" he said hurriedly, his eyes wide and his chest heaving.

"Yes, I am."

"It's your sister. She's fallen off her horse."


End file.
